PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Bike lanes, like the ones on North Street, are about to become a lot more common in Pittsfield. The city is about to begin to implement its ‘Bike Facilities Master Plan,’ which was unveiled this week. 

“This is really about creating and building out another form of transportation in the city, to give an alternative to automobiles,” said city planner C.J. Hoss.

In addition to the bike lanes already on North Street and others planned as part of the Tyler Street renovation, the plan calls for adding different types of bike lanes throughout the city.

Many of the new lanes will be added gradually as part of the city’s normal road repaving schedule.

“We’re doing approximately seven to nine miles of road each year,” said public works commissioner Ricardo Morales. “We should be thinking about how, once we have that resurfaced, how we can make the accommodations that are laid out in the master plan.”

The biggest changes will be in downtown, where the goal is to slow down traffic, to both make it safer for bikers and pedestrians, and create a more business-friendly environment.

“I think that’s one thing that I’ve consistently heard here, whether it’s North Street, Tyler Street, other parts of the city, people being unaware of businesses,” said Hoss. “That’s one way people actually see them, if they are moving at a slower rate of speed.”

Hoss knows it will take a while for both drivers and bikers to get used to the changes, but he’s optimistic they’ll help in the long-run.

“This is a new concept in Pittsfield,” said Hoss. “It’s a new concept in the Berkshires. But we think it’s something that will definitely be something that benefits this community.”